Previously, I led the company's video strategies and I was the global
head of Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group innovation team; developing
methods, architectures, and business cases to help Cisco's key customers
adopt Internet-based technologies. I also have held a similar position
working with the leading corporations and governments in Asia.

SecurityStockWatch.com: With all the emphasis on emerging
technologies, why is Cisco in the business of physical security?

Guido Jouret: We think that physical security is rapidly
moving from analog to Internet Protocol technologies, just as voice did
in the '90s. This shift is creating new opportunities. All of those cameras,
encoders and media servers are devices sitting on an IP network. So the
demand is going up for routing, switching and wireless infrastructures.

Cisco is the leader in IP convergence, and we have a lot of experience
-- we've done this in voice as well as in
data center technologies -- so we can provide physical
security systems at a scale and reliability that customers want. This
is why Cisco is the leader in networked video systems, everything from
set-top
boxes, Cisco
TelePresence systems,
digital signage and physical security. Physical security is one of
the largest video markets out there, and we intend to play a leading role.

SecurityStockWatch.com: Why do you think Cisco's offerings
are better?

Guido Jouret: Cisco entered the physical market with
an all-IP solution. This was designed from the ground up to build on our
expertise in IP networking. One of the main challenges customers face
in deploying physical security in a converged IP infrastructure is to
minimize the complexity of deployment. Just like with voice, it's important
to configure the physical security application and the network accurately
and consistently so that they work well together.

Cisco's medianet
innovations let us automate the discovery, configuration and monitoring
of cameras, which can dramatically reduce errors, operational costs and
improve reliability. We've embedded medianet technology into our cameras,
and we already have it in our core routing and switching products. Many
of our network customers therefore already have medianet technology available
to them. Furthermore, our systems are designed for scale. We protect the
installations of governments, militaries, police departments and sporting
venues.

SecurityStockWatch.com: So a medianet is a network that's
optimized for video. But not all your physical security solutions go through
a medianet these days, do they?

We also build what we call "solution building blocks." Video
surveillance is one. Application integration and networks are the other
two. For example, we combine physical security products with other Cisco
technologies, such as Unified Communications, WebEx, and TelePresence.
So not only can we detect incidents, but we can also use collaboration
and communication technologies for a unified response. Of course, virtualizing
the surveillance software also increases flexibility.

SecurityStockWatch.com: Didn't Cisco just announce
a new offering for the UCS platform?

Guido Jouret: Yes, the
Cisco Video Surveillance Manager on UCS Express. It's brand-new. Before,
the Video
Surveillance Manager had to be installed on a standalone server. Now,
video surveillance is a service on the network. Also, because it's virtualized
in both data center and branch applications, it can be deployed for large-scale
surveillance. It supports tens of thousands of cameras, for example. And
it's much cheaper to run.

SecurityStockWatch.com: This is good news, and I can
tell you're pleased. Your background indicates a particular focus on innovation.
What is Cisco doing to foster it?

Guido Jouret: Cisco spends 13.5 percent of its revenues
on R&D -- which is among the highest R&D investments among technology
companies. We have more than 20,000 engineers doing research and development.
I believe we have a unique perspective in that we have expertise in hardware,
software and communications. Much of our intellectual property in communications
is in fact in software.

SecurityStockWatch.com: What does this mean for Cisco's
physical security solutions?

Guido Jouret: We are committed to accelerating the physical
security industry toward all-IP solutions because we believe this creates
greater efficiency and flexibility for customers. We are also committed
to using our expertise in networking and virtualization to automate the
deployment of physical security solutions. This is the innovation the
industry has been waiting for, and we intend to lead the way.

SecurityStockWatch.com: Thank you for your time, Dr.
Jouret.

Guido Jouret: My pleasure.

VIDEOS

Guido Jouret explains what medianets are and how companies can deploy video with a media architecture (2:19 min)